Kitty hat, and a sewing machine!

Nyaa!

I got a kitty hat! It has little ears and is soft. OwO It's based on Asuka's hat from the third Evangelion Rebuild film, which won't be here for a looong time. But yes, it keeps my head warm and makes me look like a weirdo when running around London.

In other news, I have started using my sewing machine, a Brother CS6000i, which I imported from the US a month or so ago. I am merrily making an array of wonky lines of stitches on some waste cloth in bizarre thread colours. It's all computerised, so the machine also beeps angrily at me when I try and do something stupid! It's pretty good fun. My first project with it will be Suika Ibuki from Touhou, a drunken, flat-chested oni. I have my wig now, so I will get cracking on the horns fairly soon.

...

I swear to god I didn't mean for that pic to come out like some terrible attempt at being gangsta.

Review: Garnier B.B. Creams - a miracle?

Looks like the typical tall and skinny,
short and squat pair...

Well, not only have I pretty much missed the boat on this one, it's had the chance to do a trip of the world before I so much as got to the pier. But I have tried out BB cream!

BB cream stands for 'blemish balm', originating from Asia. There, it is touted as an idol's secret, a superb miracle of skincare, skin-smoothening, soothing and sun protecting all in one! Sssss. Well, that's Asia, and whether these claims are true or not, Western ones are said to be a rather different beast, with fewer features but more of a 'baby foundation', maybe. No-makeup makeup.

I've not tried foundation before as my skin is fairly well behaved. I usually have maybe one or two spots and they are more likely to be little pimples (or ex-pimples...) than 'I AM CYST, DESTROYER OF WORLDS' type pustules. But England has been going through a cold snap (thanks, Siberia) and my usually oily skin has gone combination, drying out in random areas. Not much I could do about flaky eyebrows short of massaging half a bottle of Head and Shoulders into it, but I figured maybe I could give BB cream a go to cover up dryness on my cheekbones.

In a giveaway, I got a free bottle of Garnier BB Miracle Skin Perfector cream in 'light' and 'age-defying'. Age defying isn't what I really go for, but if it's free... Still, can I sue Garnier if I don't look 12 afterwards?

The colour was good (though surprising - I am not 'light' by most standards) but I wasn't terribly happy with the look - it was shiny! So shiny. But I dusted some translucent powder over it (incidentally, half the bathroom too) and soon both me and the sink had a lovely matte complexion. That is, until the next day, when I broke out. :/ And that never happens!

But it seemed like a pity. I bought a bottle in 'light' and 'oil-free' instead. The oil-free version was a lot more runny (more a liquid than a cream) and less pink. Also smelled more strongly of alcohol. However, it seemed that light actually was now light. Too light for me! :c I wanted the colour of the old one but the properties of the new... so I put blobs of both on my face! Science.

HELP, HELP, SKIN DISEASE

Aaaaand we're done! Just kidding. The next step is to blend it all in. I tie my hair back to do makeup, so... forehead warning.

FOREHEAD

The mix is pretty good! It helped conceal the remnants of spots past on my forehead. I'm not too fond of the SPF 25, because that would cause a cast in photos, but I'm sure for people who want to just wear it every day instead of foundation it would be useful. Using mostly the oil-free version prevented me from breaking out too, so I'd definitely recommend that for oily skin type.

All done!

So that's that. Pretty good for everyday wear, but I need something a bit better for cosplaying. I have a MAC concealer and really like it, so perhaps I will take a trip down to the store and get colour matched for some proper foundation sometime.

New glasses! ~ A tale of Japan and customs fees

じーっ

I got some new glasses! Some cheap half-price frames from Japan, by glasses company JINS. Unfortunately, it also became a cautionary tale about proxy delivery and customs charges.

The proxy - Tenso
Company doesn't deliver outside of Japan? Got no Japanese friends? Now you do, because this is where proxy delivery services like Tenso come in. The product is shipped to this company's address within Japan, and they forward it on to you. Their site was in clear English and within a few minutes I had my own address in Tokyo to send mail to. Very fast and cool service.

The problem - Parcelforce
It was when it hit England that things went wrong. For future reference, here's how you calculate customs and taxes when importing goods into the UK.

• Customs Duty - Only charged on items worth over £270 at 2.5%. If your total duties come to less than £9, though, this is waived.
• Excise Duty - Only if you're bringing in alcohol or cigarettes. Excise duty rates here. 
• VAT - Charged on the cost of item, shipping and duties at 20%.
• Handling fee by carrier - THIS IS THE KICKER. I had no idea about this one. You see, my parcel was picked up by Parcelforce. And Parcelforce 'kindly' pay your fees to customs for you to release your parcel, then hold it hostage themselves and demand a flat £13.50 for the pleasure. This nearly tripled my border fees.

Another thing to note about Parcelforce is though you may see 'Awaiting payment of charges' through their online tracking, you cannot immediately pay online. You either ring them up and give them your credit card details over the phone (not an option for me when I'm at work) or you have to wait a day or two for them to send you a letter with a reference code, and then you can pay online. Just... what?

I tried to speed it up by ringing up the depot to get my code over the phone, but the operator stubbornly maintained that she was not allowed to release it as 'We wouldn't know if you are who you say you are.' Seriously? Why does it matter who pays it, if it gets paid? Is there some problem with reverse-bandits paying people's customs fees?

Being unable to wait around at home for a parcel, I went up to Camden myself and reluctantly coughed up the fees. I noticed there were multiple signs and leaflets by the window proclaiming the handling fee as 'legal', and 'very reasonable' - it seems that quite a few complaints had been made in the past. Personally, I too cannot even begin to imagine the amount of arduous labour which justifies £13.50 in a single parcel's handling fee. I expect it to be along the lines of at least three postal workers breaking their fingers while punching numbers into a calculator.

But at least that saga is over. If these are okay, I might get prescription lenses fitted.